Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, announcing martial law
on November 3rd, today said he will end it on December 16th.
** QUICK HITS. The man on the move in the Republican presidential race, Mike Huckabee, campaigns for the next three days in New Hampshire. Now tied for the lead in Iowa, the former Arkansas governor goes next to the other early state that had been ceded to former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. Huckabee’s schedule is one of extensive retail campaigning. … Last night’s Republican debate on CNN was the most watched presidential primary debate ever on cable news. … Hillary Clinton, in California today, visited the Saddleback Christian church in Orange County for its annual AIDS summit, as Barack Obama did last year. She also picked up the endorsement of noted environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., son of the late New York senator. Which is interesting, given the rumor going around that Uncle Ted is going to endorse Obama. … California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, who says he is now in charge of the campaign against the term limits revision initiative, told the San Diego Union Tribune editorial board today that he doesn’t know who the contributors are behind the $1.5 million from the DC-based US Term Limits outfit. The group refuses to divulge its contributors.
** ABC SAYS GIULIANI HAD NYPD PROVIDE TAXI SERVICE TO THEN GIRLFRIEND/FUTURE WIFE. This doesn’t look promising for the national Republican frontrunner. In addition to yesterday’s report that the cost of then New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s security services during his Hamptons visits to then girlfriend Judy Nathan were allocated to obscure city agencies such as the loft board, ABC reports that Giuliani had New York police officers ferry her around the city. I believe he was still married at the time.
It’s arguable to use public resources in this way for a spouse or other family member. This is much more problematic.
** MUSHARRAF SAYS HE’LL END PAKISTAN MARTIAL LAW, BUT MANY WILL BOYCOTT ELECTION. President Pervez Musharraf, no longer head of the army, has been sworn in as civilian president of Pakistan. He swiftly announced that he will end the effective state of martial law he imposed on November 3rd. On December 16th. Which is barely three weeks before the national election he reinstated for January 8th.
Not much time to campaign freely, assuming that could actually happen. So former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, returned from exile in a deal with Saudis, and an alliance of opposition parties say they will boycott the election. Sharif says he will meet with former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, also returned from exile, whose short-lived alliance with Musharraf ended when he declared martial law and had her arrested. Bhutto and her party might participate in the election.
And a murky situation in America’s key frontline ally in the Terror War — which nonetheless allows the harboring of top Al Qaeda leaders — which stands also as the only Islamic nuclear power, has just gotten murkier.
** BIN LADEN WARNS EUROPE TO GET OUT OF AFGHANISTAN. In his latest tape, aired this morning on Al Jazeera, Osama bin Laden advises European countries to withdraw their forces on Afghanistan. Al Qaeda can probably make a lot of trouble for Western European countries. Too bad that, six years after 9/11, we still haven’t gotten Osama and other top Al Qaeda leaders.
** A POST-DEBATE TEMPEST. Well, since I wrote early this morning about the Republican presidential debate on CNN, CNN’s handling of things has become the latest cause celebre of the conservative blogosphere. Plug into Michelle Malkin’s site to feel the rage.
More Republicans noticed what I wrote about, that the videos selected by CNN producers reflected kind of a wacky party, and are complaining about it. But the big thing is about how a few more of the questioners, in addition to the minor Clinton campaign official I mentioned earlier, turn out to be Democrats. Another embarrassment for CNN after its embarrassing handling of the Democratic debate in Vegas.
The questions last night were mostly pretty generic. You’d think with 5000 YouTube video questions they could find people who wouldn’t be tracked down by avidly clicking blogospheric sleuths as Democrats to pose much the same question.
Mitt Romney talks in last night’s Republican debate about how he
used to be “pro-choice” on abortion and is now “pro-life.”
** REPUBLICANS DEBATE. In a race that has become less and less clearcut, one thing for sure emerged from last night’s Republican presidential debate in Florida. Anderson Cooper did a much better job as moderator than Wolf Blitzer did with the Democrats in Las Vegas.
Cooper, you see, for all his chronic twittiness as an anchor, actually allowed the candidates to debate (and to keep the flow going amidst the ensuing potential chaos). Which means to engage with one another, and not merely deliver bland, pre-programmed bitelets.
It was a night for Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney to continue what may be a fateful tango of hostility. And for Mike Huckabee to demonstrate exactly why he is the candidate of the political surge.
I think Romney and his handlers made a mistake. His biggest problem is Huckabee, who is in the process of hollowing out his candidacy. He’s doing that in two ways, by proving to have a powerful appeal as an authentic, not situational, social conservative. And by taking at least a share of the lead in Iowa, which had been ceded to Romney for months. If Romney loses Iowa, his entire strategic sequence is thoroughly disrupted. He doesn’t have the built-in national appeal of Giuliani, which may be the ex-New York mayor’s ultimate strength in the big state primaries down the line in the contest.
As many of you know, I love YouTube. But think the YouTube debates are pure gimmickry. From that standpoint, this one was less irritating than the first such, among the Democrats. But let’s face it. When you have 5000 YouTube video questions submitted by viewers — that’s more than the Democrats got — and there is no public vote on the questions to be asked, it’s entirely up to the producers what gets on the air.
So what got on the air managed to ignore mainstream issues like health care and the environment — not to mention any discussion of geostrategic issues beyond bumper sticker thought — while spending the first 35 minutes of the debate on illegal immigration.
Quite a few of the video questions selected positioned the Republican Party well to the right of mainstream America. Gun fetishists, Confederate flag enthusiasts, Biblical literalists, and so on. For the record, I’m a gun owner (unlike a couple of the Republicans on that stage), don’t have a Confederate flag (descended from pre-Civil War Virginians), and consider the Bible essentially allegorical.
Now, it may well be that that is a fair reflection of the party. Checking around the conservative blogosphere, I don’t see any complaints about the video selection subtly biasing a mainstream audience against their party. Instead, what complaints there were, and there weren’t many, centered on the latest CNN mistake of allowing a Clinton operative into its pool. In this case, a retired brigadier general from Santa Rosa, California — who identified himself as a Log Cabin Republican — complaining about the don’t ask/don’t tell policy on gays and lesbians in the military. Turns out he’s one of dozens of co-chairs of Veterans for Hillary.
** ONE POLL INDICATES HUCKABEE DEBATE VICTORY. This poll by Insider Advantage of Republican voters in Iowa and Florida shows a clearcut victory by former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee in last night’s Republican presidential debate in St. Petersburg, Florida.
** CALIFORNIA PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES AT THE END OF JANUARY. Although next month’s Democratic presidential debate on CBS has been cancelled due to the Writers Guild strike, there will be debates here prior to the early California presidential primary on February 5th. CNN is set to host Republican and Democratic debates on January 30th and January 31st.
** SCHWARZENEGGER SUB-PRIME MORTGAGE LIVE WEBCAST THIS MORNING. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who as widely reported in the press has worked with lenders to stabilize interest rates and prevent some future foreclosures, meets with business and local leaders in Riverside this morning and holds a press conference to discuss the crisis. The event will be webcast live at 9:40 AM.
** 24/7 LIVE TV NEWS FEED FROM RUSSIA TODAY. Russia has re-emerged as one of the world’s great powers. Click here for a live TV news feed on your computer, bringing you English-language, jargon-free, fast-paced coverage of global and Russian news from the new Russia Today channel.
You probably already know about CNN International, BBC World, and Al Jazeera. Russia Today, which also features culture, entertainment, and sports, is based in Moscow and is owned and operated by the TV Novosti division of Russia’s state news agency, RIA Novosti.
While it’s quite foolish to expect to see, say, criticism of Vladimir Putin on Russia Today, the channel is very interesting nonetheless. The NWN live link to RT does not constitute an endorsement of the channel’s views. It’s presented as an otherwise unavailable new media window.
** TRACK GLOBAL AND U.S. ENERGY PRICES IN NEAR REAL TIME VIA BLOOMBERG ENERGY MARKET WATCH. Crude oil prices have dropped again, now trading in a range of $91 to $93 per barrel. This is the third day of declines in the oil market. Saudi Arabia has increased its production to the highest level this year. Record oil prices have negatively impacted the US and global economies.
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There is a very strong tradition of what creationism and evolution mean in America. Which should go without saying.
Or, more to the point, my having to type it.
well I of course meant he is comfortable in his skin..i wonder how jimmy carter felt about the issue ….was it an issue question when he ran ? I know very little about carter but I heard recently discuss that he still teaces bible school…
You’re on a bit of a jag. Jimmy Carter is not a creationist. Creationism is Biblical literalism.
Incidentally, I’m greatly looking forward to The Golden Compass, Love His Dark Materials.
so what is jimmy carter teaching in bible school…was he ever asked ..his sister was a famous evangelical for all we know he may have had very similar beliefs to huckabee…i can’t wait for the compass ..but you are playing peek aboo with these videos today Mr Bradley! gosh it’s midnight …turning into pumpkin time! its 1 pm friday in pakistan I shall go check up on bhutto sharif IMran and mush! night night!
so what is jimmy carter teaching in bible school…was he ever asked ..his sister was a famous evangelical for all we know he may have had very similar beliefs to huckabee…i can’t wait for the compass ..but you are playing peek aboo with these videos today Mr Bradley! gosh it’s midnight …turning into pumpkin time! its 1 pm friday in pakistan I shall go check up on bhutto sharif IMran and mush! night night!
Huckabee told O’Reilly, and the NY Times that “I believe there is a God who was active in the creation process. Now, how did he do it, and when did he do it, and how long did he take? I don’t honestly know, and I don’t think knowing that would make me a better or a worse president.”
He also told reporters, “If you want to believe that you and your family came from apes, that’s fine. I’ll accept that. I just don’t happen to think that I did” He also indicated that the six days of creation might have been metaphorical, and could have represented six billion years
I do know there has never been a “missing link” between primates and our genus and species identified. So the truth is, nobody knows, and I don’t think his views are really that heretical.
Besides, he pardoned Keith Richard
Video today of Huckabee and a monkey?
This is getting fairly goofy, folks …
I wonder if the APDM (Sharif & Khan) will get a hold of this speech I just read that Bhutto gave last July at IISS (London based, Think Tank) on Musharrah and how he conducts elections …if they do and publish it… she could look at best very foolish and in many eyes much worse…
I wonder if the APDM (Sharif & Khan) will get a hold of this speech I just read that Bhutto gave last July at IISS (London based, Think Tank) on Musharrah and how he conducts elections …if they do and publish it… she could look at best very foolish and in many eyes much worse…
What does it say?
What does it say?
I will get back to it when you write again about pakistan…it’s really a very telling speech when you consider she at the opportunity to protest the exact thing she paasionately attacked…and chose not to
Actually, I wrote about it again today.
not the best day for be…it is anniversary of his death …but I will get around to it because it is relevant…
Incidentally, NWN passed 45,000 comments sometime in the past week.